Eugene gxant



(No M a1.)

0e eGEANT.

GAR GOUPLING. No. 483,437. Patented Sept. 27,1892.

A TTOHNE YS.

v60-eww V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE GEANT, or

FORT LOGAN, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND SAMUEL SUTTON,

OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 483,437, dated September 27, 1892.

Application filed May 14, 1892.

To all whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, EUGENE GEANT, of Fort Logan, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented a new and improved Oar-Ooupler, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved car-coupler which is sirnple and durable in construction and arranged to permit an easy coupling and uncoupling without the operator stepping between the cars.

The invention consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

. in which similar letters of reference indicate ordinary car A is provided with a draw-bar B, extending under the car A and formed at its inner end with a plate C, fitted to slide longitudinally in suitable guideways D, arranged on the under side of the car, as is plainly illustrated in Fig. 2. A spring E, held on the car, presses against the said plate C, so as to hold the draw-bar in an outermost position and to permit a rearward sliding of the said draw-bar and coupling when two cars come together. The draw-bar B passes through a casing F, attached to the under side of the car A, and on one side of the said draw-bar presses a spring G, secured in the said casing and pressing with its free end on the side of the draw-bar, as is plainly shown in Fig. 2. The outer end of the draw-bar B is formed with a head B', having the rounded-od end B2, and an inclined shoulder B3, adapted to engage a corresponding shoulder on the opposite drawbar. The head B of each draw-bar is also serai No. 432,985, rn@ man.)

formed with a transversely-extending slot B4, adapted to receive an ordinary coupling-link in case a car provided with my improvement is to be coupled with a car having the ordinary link-and-pin coupling.

In order to hold the ordinary coupling-link in position on the head B', the latter is provided with a vertical aperture B5 for the insertion of the pin, said pin engaging the link 6o held in the slot B4 in the usual manner.

On the draw-bar B a short distance to the rear of the head B is pivoted at H a clasp H, formed with two downwardly extending prongs H2, placed a distance apart correspond- 6 5 ing to the width of the two coupled heads B of the draw-bars. The lower4 ends of the prongs H2 are curved outward slightly, as at H3, so that when the clasp H swings downward the prongs H2 readily engage the sides of the 7o heads B of the coupled draw-bars. (See Figs.

l, 2, and 5.) The prongs H2 are of sufficient length to prevent accidental disengagement of the clasp H by a jar or other cause.

On the front end of the clasp H is formed an eye H4, connected with one end of a chain I, extending upward and connected with an arm J, secured on a transversely-extending shaft K, mounted to turn in suitable bearings on the end of the carA. The ends of the shaft 8o K reach to the sides of the car A, and on the outer ends of the shaft are secured handles L for conveniently turning the said shaft K to raise or lower the clasp H, so as to move the same into or out of engagement with the two coupled heads of the draw-bars. The clasp H is also connected with a chain N, extending upward to the top of the car to connect with a lever O, fulcrumed on the top of the car and provided with a foot-rest O', adapted 9o to be engaged by the foot of the operator standin g on top of the car. A springP presses on the said lever O to hold the same in a normal position-that is, the end connected with the chain N downward to permit the clasp to lock the coupled heads, as before explained.

The operation is as follows: When the car is not coupled, the draw-bar extends longitudinally in the middle of the car, with the clasp H in an uppermost position. When it 10o is desired-to couple two cars, the latter are moved toward each other, so that the curved ends B2 on the heads B strike each other, thus swinging the bars sidewise against thev tension of the springs G. The heads B of the twordraw-bars pass each other until the shoulders Bsrengage one another, as is plainly illustrated in Fig. 2, the heads B of the draw-bars being pressed together by the action of the springs G. As soon as the heads of the said draw-bars are engaged the operator swings one of the clasps H downward, so that the prongs H2 of the said clasps engage the sides of the two engagedheads B of thedraw-bars, thus locking the said drawbars in place. Now it will be seen that all longitudinal strain is taken up by the shoulders VL3 of the two A.

hcads,while the latter are prevented from drawing apart bythe arrnsor prongs H2 of the locking-clasp H. When it is desired to uncouple, whether the cars are in motion or at a standstill, the operator simply moves the handles L, so as to turn the shaft K to swing the arm J upward, whereby'the chain I causes the clasp H to swing upward and rearward. The

arms H2 of the said clasp then disengage the sides of the drawbar heads, and on pulling the cars apart the two heads are disengaged and the cars are uucoupled. Y

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- A car-coupling comprising the laterallyswinging lon gitudinally-yieldin g draw-head,

EUGENE GEANT.

lVitnesses:

MICHAEL KELLY, HARRY J. DUGAN. 

